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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · plane · chest · rush · file · stick · vault · kick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a tool
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. file — a document
  6. chest — of your body
  7. vault — a safe
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chest — of your body
  13. race — humankind
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rush — hurry
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. race — a contest
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chest — a box
  23. kick — in football
  24. file — a line of people

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com